E-Paper
Cristiano Ronaldo breaks down in tears as final FIFA World Cup ends in heartbreak after Spain's late winner
Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't control his emotions after full-time as Spain knocked Portugal out in his final FIFA World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo was left in tears as Portugal crashed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 1-0 Round-of-16 defeat to Spain. The match also marked the final World Cup appearance of the Al Nassr star, who had confirmed beforehand that the tournament would be his last.
Substitute Mikel Merino struck the winner in the first minute of stoppage time after extra time seemed inevitable. Ferran Torres threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into Merino's path, and the midfielder calmly slotted it past Diogo Costa to send Spain into the quarterfinals.
Both goalkeepers were in outstanding form. Unai Simon extended his World Cup shutout streak to 609 minutes as Spain broke the record for the most consecutive World Cup matches without conceding, surpassing Italy's run in 1990 and Switzerland's streak between 2006 and 2010.
Before facing Portugal, Simon had made just four saves at the tournament. Austria failed to register a single shot on target in the Round of 32, but against Portugal, the Spain goalkeeper was called into action, denying Ronaldo twice.
Ronaldo walked off the pitch in tears after the final whistle to cheers from the crowd at Dallas Stadium.
The game started at a frantic pace. Mikel Oyarzabal tested Diogo Costa from distance early on, while Joao Cancelo fired over the crossbar at the other end.
Spain should have gone ahead in the eighth minute when Dani Olmo's first-time pass released Oyarzabal, but the forward dragged his effort wide. Moments later, Bruno Fernandes intercepted a pass from Pedri to set up Ronaldo, whose effort was comfortably saved by Simón.
Costa produced a brilliant double save in the first half, first denying Lamine Yamal before getting a fingertip to Alex Baena's follow-up effort. Simón then kept out João Félix's header and Ronaldo's volley on the rebound. Portugal came closest through Nuno Mendes, whose effort struck the crossbar after taking a deflection off Pedro Porro.
Spain took control after the break, with Costa tipping Yamal's free-kick over the bar.
Portugal's resolute defence frustrated Spain for much of the contest, but the breakthrough finally came in the 91st minute. Ferran Torres spotted Mikel Merino's run and slipped a perfectly weighted pass into his path, allowing the substitute to fire into the bottom corner.
Spain, on a 35-game unbeaten streak, advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning their only World Cup title in 2010. La Roja will play either the United States or Belgium on Friday in Inglewood, California.
